University of California Admits Record 100,000+ California First-Year Students

The University of California (UC) system admitted a record 100,947 first-year California students for fall 2025, marking over a 7% increase from last year and the largest in-state cohort in its history. Overall, UC admitted nearly 150,000 first-year students from a pool of more than 205,000 applicants, raising the systemwide admission rate to 73%, with California residents seeing a higher rate of 77%. The number of international students admitted also rose by 17%, despite increased visa restrictions and federal scrutiny under the Trump administration, reflecting UC's strategy to maintain diversity and financial stability amid budgetary pressures and federal funding cuts. UC campuses like UCLA and Berkeley continue to draw competitive applicant pools, with UCLA admitting about 9.42% of applicants and Berkeley increasing admissions to over 14,500 first-year students. The system also preserved racial and gender diversity, with Hispanic or Latino students representing 39% of admits UC-wide, Asian students the largest group at UCLA, and women constituting 54% of first-year admits. However, UC faces ongoing challenges including hiring freezes, state budget cuts, federal investigations into admissions practices, and concerns over the future of research funding.